Having done my due search through the forums, the only topic I could find was on the over-sexualization of females in anime, but that thread was locked over a year ago and I want this one to cover a topic that is somewhat different.

Although I haven't been in the anime community long, it is apparent to me that there is rampant hypersexualization across the board, from the shows themselves to merchandise to fan art. Now, obviously this is much more pervasive with regards to women, but it does exist for men as well. I'm a little troubled by this, and let me explain why.

When I watch anime, I am often seeking out the greatest good I can find in it. I'm not really a feminist or anything, but I like female characters who can stand on their own two feet. And I also like male characters who aren't just out looking for sex, but have higher motivations. And so, when I find good characters that I enjoy watching, I form a certain emotional connection with them and a certain expectation and ideal in my head.

EXAMPLE 1: Thus, when I see things like this http://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2013/08/26-1/chara-ani-prepares-sword-art-online-asuna-new-wives-always-say-yes-figure it really bothers me. I really liked Asuna in SAO. She was not, I felt ever presented as a sex object (that's right, not even in the second arc, because Sugou's lust was obviously portrayed as evil). She was a fighter, survivor and a pure figure. So seeing her in a clearly sexualized figure (figure title, position, blush on her cheeks) really bothers me because of the ideal I have for her. This continues in fan art and, I'm sure, fan fiction (from which I plan to stay far away).

EXAMPLE 2: It also bugs me when I encounter things like Junichiro's password and fetish in Blast of Tempest, which is my all time favorite anime. What is mostly a dramatic, mature and brilliantly constructed show runs into a stupid password like "Boobs that don't bounce aren't boobs at all." It's out of character for the show, but it's still there.

EXAMPLE 3: Just to show that this goes beyond the female sexualization, take a gander at this photo.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

Again, sexualization of a very non-sexualized character in the story. It, in some ways, damages my view of Mahiro as a character and turns him into an object (same thing applies to example 1).

In short, what is up with the hypersexualization that surrounds anime and what are people's thoughts on it? And let's go beyond the cliche answer, "It's Japanese and they're all pervs over there." Some of these shows are not sexualized, yet you still see it in fan art, etc. We're (for the most part) an American audience; we come from a different culture and are not bound by Japan's culture.

There is a lower tolerance or perception into this hypersexuality you speak of. That pose of Mahiro offend used as the pose of choice when making the daimakuras.

Also the translation although are "official" (w/e that means) goes into that grey area when you translate Japanese into English, although the intended use maybe have felt wrong, it doesn't have the intention of being as bad as it was translated.

There is also a shift in what is marketable, low birthrates in Japan might have been due to this sort of stuff. Altogether this has been an evolution of anime and anime culture. You can take a look at previous years where the mechs were in flavor and figurines had more clothing and less of a pose.

I pretty much agree with the OP on everything. I personally find it very disappointing. Luckily, it seems to be (mostly) kept out of the anime and reserved for merchandise, fanart, extra stuff. Greylurker, above me, makes some great points as well.

it's just a matter of trying to ignore their existence to keep your image of the character untwisted.

To quote heavy metal legend Alice Cooper, "Sex, death and money, sonny
Makes this wicked world go round
Sex, death and money
Its the Gospel here in Dragontown"

Basically, sex sells as it has been stated by others. Although in this particular topic I do feel there is another part of this hypersexualization that I find particularly odious. To use the example of the character of Asuna that was first brought up in regards to a figurine. That type of scenario puts the series/ character's creator in something of the role of a pimp.
In my experience, I have had to stop watching certain anime because I could no longer stomach the blatant over the top fan service (if you can even call it just 'fan service' at such a point). In such circumstance the emphasis is no longer on what makes a good story but becomes "how can I make this character sexier?". Unfortunately, this issue also is probably what keeps some people from giving anime a shot and they can miss out on some really fantastic shows/movies.
And this is also the type of thing that will probably just get worse and worse as time goes by. Unless people stop, and I use this in the fullest sense of the word, 'buying' into this hypersexualized type of anime/anime merchandise.

To quote heavy metal legend Alice Cooper, "Sex, death and money, sonny
Makes this wicked world go round
Sex, death and money
Its the Gospel here in Dragontown"

Basically, sex sells as it has been stated by others. Although in this particular topic I do feel there is another part of this hypersexualization that I find particularly odious. To use the example of the character of Asuna that was first brought up in regards to a figurine. That type of scenario puts the series/ character's creator in something of the role of a pimp.
In my experience, I have had to stop watching certain anime because I could no longer stomach the blatant over the top fan service (if you can even call it just 'fan service' at such a point). In such circumstance the emphasis is no longer on what makes a good story but becomes "how can I make this character sexier?". Unfortunately, this issue also is probably what keeps some people from giving anime a shot and they can miss out on some really fantastic shows/movies.
And this is also the type of thing that will probably just get worse and worse as time goes by. Unless people stop, and I use this in the fullest sense of the word, 'buying' into this hypersexualized type of anime/anime merchandise.

oops, too late already ordered some sexual figures from amazon.jp.com , my bad, I'll stop
This is the only thing that bothers me, if people get turned off by all the fan-service, that'd be bad.

I don't think that the issue here lies with a certain type of anime, or even anime in general. I believe the reason that anime has become hypersexualized is a direct result of mankind's inability to suppress their basest of urges. Due to the fact that anime is a medium on which such desires can be played out by characters, many viewers flock to an animated series which can almost mirror their feelings.

Why the sudden surge? It's easy for the anime producers to predict the target audience's reactions to a series with an overabundant amount of sexual themes than it is for them to predict animes of other sorts. That's not to say sexual themes themselves are bad, as such things are a part of life, and should not be excluded from a mature setting. The limit for me is when the character development and plot of an otherwise great show is smudged by the constant ploys of the directors to pander to what they might consider a "safe" audience. Regardless of whether the rest of the show is a hit or a miss, if an anime includes something that is extremely sexual, it guarantees that there will always be those out there who enjoy their product.

I still find it hard to understand why stuff like this is seen as a huge problem.

The content of an anime, figurine, or any other artwork is some combination of what the creators felt like making, and what they thought the consumers wanted. Some of that is going to be sexual, because...people generally like sex. Some things have more of it than others, and while it's an easy way to attract customers, there isn't remotely enough of it to make me worry that society is devolving into sex-crazed chimpanzees or something. And I doubt there ever will be. People don't want everything to be crammed full of sex. That's why most things aren't.

Too many people take anything related to sex far too seriously, and see almost everything about it as negative. I mean, when you feel the need to complain about stuff like this:

iblessallwrote:
EXAMPLE 2: It also bugs me when I encounter things like Junichiro's password and fetish in Blast of Tempest, which is my all time favorite anime. What is mostly a dramatic, mature and brilliantly constructed show runs into a stupid password like "Boobs that don't bounce aren't boobs at all." It's out of character for the show, but it's still there.

EXAMPLE 3: Just to show that this goes beyond the female sexualization, take a gander at this photo.

Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide

Again, sexualization of a very non-sexualized character in the story. It, in some ways, damages my view of Mahiro as a character and turns him into an object (same thing applies to example 1).

...isn't that going a little far? Does sex have to be cleansed completely from everything related to a show to make it legitimate and untainted? What's so horrible about sex that makes it ruin everything it touches? Why is our society so uptight about this sort of thing?